Out Running Secrets
by RedMagic
Summary: Tree Hill is rocked by the murder of 18 year old Haley Van Der Woodsen, just two months shy of her high school graduation. Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill crossover.
1. Prologue

**Out Running Secrets**

**A One Tree Hill/Gossip Girl Crossover**

**Dedications**

**Haleyrox** , _who has been one of my avid supporters from basically day one, she reads and watches absolutely everything even when the pairing may not necessarily take her fancy and her reviews and comments are always guaranteed to make me smile. _**KnKCullen, **_who stalks my author page and makes me giggle when she tells me so, I'm thoroughly glad to have turned you into a Chaley supporter as well as half way converting you to Saleyism._

**Brooke-P-Davis**_, who always leaves me wonderful constructive reviews and occasionally puts up with my fandom meltdowns when I can't get anything written._

**MidnightXWishes**_ , who I haven't caught up with in a while but who is still my favorite fandom buddy._

_Disclaimer – I do not own any of the characters written about in this story, they belong to the creators of One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl respectively. I'm just manipulating them for my own amusement._

**-Prologue-**

Tree Hill North Carolina looked like an idyllic kind of town, the type of town lifestyle magazines showed snapshots of inside the cover on their pages advertising the perfect American dream life.

That's part of the reason Senior Detective Karen Roe had requested the town when she put in for a transfer. After the constant nightmares and decay she'd bore witness to as a homicide detective with NYPD, Tree Hill had seemed like a veritable walk in the park.

She'd been so sure their Homicide department would barely see any action at all.

For the most part she'd been right, a few cut and dry manslaughter cases, bar fights turned deadly and simple shootings during robberies, but than a murder so brutal and messy had occurred that it had almost made some of the more heinous cases she'd worked on back in New York seem like child's play.

A young woman, eighteen years old, Haley Van Der Woodsen, the middle child of one of the wealthiest woman in Tree Hill, found brutally beaten and strangled on the bank of Angel Lake.

It had been a hard case to crack, her partner still new to the job and herself differing in opinion several times on the who's and the why's, roadblocks from council members and too wealthy witnesses more than willing to lawyer up.

The pressure had been stifling but they'd managed to see it through till the end.

Their perp looks normal, well cultured and attractive and nothing like the thugs she's used to back in the big smoke.

This perp has the look of small town royalty down to a fine art and she can't seem to reconcile the crime committed in relation to the face she's staring at from across the table.

It just goes to show that looks are definitely deceiving.

She leans across the table, schools her features into those of curiosity and openness and asks the question that's been plaguing her mind since day one.

"So why'd you do it?"

"For the simplest reason of all…"


	2. Chapter One

**-Chapter One-**

Two days, it is two days before Eric Van Der Woodsen is informed of the disappearance of his older sister.

He's sitting in his debate class involved in a heated discussion about the pros and cons of capital punishment, a subject he feels very strongly about and is very much against, when his principal interrupts and quietly ushers him out of the room.

The walls close in, he can't breathe and nothing the dourly woman in front of him says is making any sense because Tree Hill is a quiet, safe community and disappearances don't happen there, not ever, least of all not to his family, and definitely not to _Haley_.

In his dorm he rushes to pack a bag, throws clothes in haphazardly as well as his worn copy of The Catcher in the Rye that Haley had given him for his 13th Birthday because it was _'just one of those books that every teenage boy has to read'_. All the while a mantra of 'she's going to be okay' echoes through his head on continuous loop because maybe if he thinks it enough times he'll will it to be truth.

He's on the train heading back home when his cell phone rings and on the other end his mother utters the words that send a chill through his heart and tears to his eyes.

_Her body's been found._

Her body's been found, his heart is now shattered and his views on the world entirely changed.

He really hopes they catch the bastard who did this, because he wants front row seats when they burn his ass to a crisp.

**ORSXORS**

She's forgotten how to walk, how to talk, how to breathe, actually at the moment she can't remember how to do much of anything at all.

She's on auto pilot as her mother and her make their way slowly into the old grey building where her sister, her baby sister is _sleeping._

The City Morgue.

She hadn't even known the town had been big enough to have a city morgue, she'd figured maybe a room in the hospital, possibly two but never a whole building.

The room they have her in is just as white and stark as every other room in the place, and the coroner, an elderly gentleman, with kind green eyes and a sad somber expression on his face leads them over to a hard looking metal slab with a lump covered by a sheet and Serena tells herself that lump can't possibly be her little sister.

Only; when he pulls back to reveal a face she can see that it is her.

Her mother, usually so composed, all perfectly styled blonde hair and regal demeanor breaks into uncontrollable sobs beside her as her eyes rake in her youngest daughter's features, bruises, big and angry, blotches of red and blue and black mar the otherwise flawless skin of Haley's cheeks, her eyelids, her neck.

Serena can't bring herself to offer comfort not yet, her hand reaches out and strokes down the side of her sisters face as she silently wills the girl back to life.

Maybe, maybe this is all just some big sick joke, maybe Haley's going to open her eyes any second and giggle because she 's played the ultimate prank.

Maybe those bruises aren't real at all, they're just make up that Brooke helped her apply because she couldn't get the application of them right herself.

Maybe this was all just some horrible nightmare and any minute Serena was going to wake up covered in sweat in the room just across the hall from where her little sister slept soundly and safe.

Maybe….

_No there were no maybes._

Her sister is gone and she's not coming back.

**ORSXORS**

Serena calls her with the news and suddenly Brooke Davis feels like the world has imploded and she wants more than anything for time to rewind to before the phone call when Haley was only missing, not…not gone.

She throws her phone, she cries, she rages until she's so worked up her body is trembling and her legs no longer hold her upright.

Her best friend murdered, _it doesn't make sense_.

Bad things shouldn't happen to good people and Haley was the very best person she knew.

She was smart, she was beautiful, she loved her family and her friends, she tried to do the right thing and she fought for the people she cared about. She wasn't perfect but to Brooke, who'd known her fair of imperfect people, Haley was as close as it got.

She can't think straight, can barely see her eyes are so dewy with tears and she can't seem to get control of her body as she shakes and dry heaves with the utter hopelessness of it all.

_The finality._

A lifetime of friendship, of love in one of its purest forms, over, because someone chose to end the life of her best friend forever.

This has to be some kind of mistake, it just has to be.

Because if it's not Brookes not sure anything will ever make sense to her again.

**ORSXORS**

Numb. He feels numb and that can't be right.

His girlfriend is dead, shouldn't he feel something? Shouldn't he being crying, or shaking or feeling anything at all?

He shouldn't feel empty; Chuck Bass shouldn't be feeling the nothingness he's feeling right at this moment. Something is definitely wrong with him.

Sitting in the Van Der Woodsen family room, in the exact spot he had sat many times before with his girlfriend by his side, or on his lap, watching as her loved ones broke around him, he feels…nothing.

He can't cry, not like all the others, Haley's mother and her sister, her brother and her best friend all huddled together, evidence of their grief running down their cheeks like a constant stream, he can't do that, the tears won't come.

Haley wasn't supposed to die, it hadn't been the plan, they'd made plans together, hours spent going over details and planning out their years together so there wouldn't be any surprises.

Dying, that hadn't been on the list.

And then there were the plans he'd made for them himself, plans he hadn't told her of, plans he'd kept to himself.

Like marrying her, eventually, a few years down the track when he had full control of his father's company and she was finishing up college, he hadn't told her that plan, only because he knows her reaction would have been to dissolve into laughter, the mere thought of Chuck Bass marrying so foreign to her even though he'd stayed faithful to her for over a year already.

_Everything was ruined now._

No Haley, no marriage, not ever.

No Haley, no heart apparently because a heart felt, a heart grieved and he was doing none of that.

Serena approaches him slowly and he can't even remember seeing her disentangle herself from her family and vacate the couch, she places a hand on his shoulder and tells him she has to speak to him in private.

He follows blindly as she leads him through the Van Der Woodsen stately home, which suddenly feels ten times larger than it actually is and he doesn't think they'll ever reach where Serena is leading, they walk up steps until they reach Haley's room and he doesn't want to enter it, doesn't want to step one foot inside but he does anyway.

The room smells like her, like here soap and her perfume and his legs almost buckle as his heart starts to hammer in his chest, like it had been kick started by some magical form of scent CPR.

_One beat, two beats, they echo loudly in his head._

Serena turns to him after rummaging through the little silver box Haley keeps on her dresser.

_Another beat, the blood rushing to his head makes him slightly dizzy._

She's holding something in her hand, he can't see what it is, but she reaches out to place it in his hand.

_The room feels too small and his chest clenches painfully._

He looks down at a little plastic stick resting in his palm, two pink lines in its viewing window.

The thumping gets heavier and faster, he feels like the organ in his chest is shredding in two before it shatters and splinters into a million pieces.

_Suddenly he feels everything._

**ORSXORS**

It is a mother's greatest fear that she will live to bury her child.

It is a nightmare known to only a few.

Most mothers are safe in the knowledge that when their children die, they'll be long gone; they never have to know the pain of watching a life they've created be cruelly snuffed out.

They are the lucky ones.

Lily Van Der Woodsen has been afforded no such luxury.

She has three children…_had_ three children, Eric her moon, Haley her star and Serena her sun but now, _now_ her star would shine no more.

She doesn't understand any of this, can't comprehend why anyone would want to take her baby away from her. How anyone could have stared into her daughters beautiful brown eyes and watched the life drain right out of her.

It doesn't seem possible that there could be someone that monstrous in the world, someone so cold and unfeeling that they could watch her daughter's light flicker out, that they could cause it.

Her home is filled with people, but she feels lonely somehow. Her remaining children retreating to the sanctity of their sister's bedroom, away from the prying eyes of the people who have invaded their home. Charles and Brooke; two people who Haley had loved just as fiercely as she'd loved her family joining them, Brooke normally so full of spark and energy, now dull and withdrawn and Charles looking like his world had ended.

Four people whose grief is almost as great as her own, but not one who can fathom just how intensely the pain of losing a child is felt.

_She hopes to god they never will._


	3. Chapter Two

**-Chapter Two-**

News travels fast in small towns, especially news like the murder of one of the towns most beloved daughters.

As Senior Detective Karen Roe and her partner Detective Marvin McFadden make their way down the halls of Tree Hill High School, talk of the tragedy follows close behind them.

Talk from the gossip ravenous high school students whispering behind locker doors eager to devour the next piece of information.

They reach the empty classroom that the principal of the school is kindly allowing them to use during the duration of their fact-finding visit to the school and start preparing themselves for a long day of questioning Tree Hill's finest young adults.

**ORSXORS**

Blair Waldorf has always prided herself on being cool, calm and composed; she'd been raised to rise above adversity with all the lady like poise a privileged young woman should be in possession of.

Nothing ever ruffled her feathers.

That is to say nothing _but_ Haley Van Der Woodsen, who even now, on her way to being six feet under, managed to find away to put a kink in her polished demeanor.

"Miss Waldorf, can I ask you what your relationship to the deceased was?"

Blair levels her eyes at the detective questioning her, gives the woman an assessing glance and then answers "We were close friends once, now I'd categorize us as passing acquaintances."

"Why were you not friends anymore?" That question comes from the male detective, he's geeky looking and Blair guesses to be in his late twenties even though he looks like he could pass for high school aged still.

"We grew apart," There is more to the story than that but she really doesn't see how it's any business of the two detectives in front of her "I believe it happens a lot in friendships."

The detectives seem to sharpen their gazes on her obviously picking up on the condescension she'd managed to inject into her voice.

"When was the last time you had any contact with the victim?" Detective Roe, the female asks her and Blair cant help thinking that theirs something close to accusation in the woman's tone, _accusation and disapproval_, but she really could care less what some middle-aged civil servant thought of her, the woman has no real impact on the rest of her life.

"Friday night during the basketball teams Friday night Pep rally." she answers no hesitation in her voice as she thinks back to that night "I was there to support my boyfriend."

_The rally had been by far one of the wildest Blair had attended and in the eight months she'd been Lucas Scotts girlfriend she'd attended a multitude of them._

_Waiting for her boyfriend on the bleachers in the basketball ball arena had become somewhat of a ritual for Blair, and she can't help thinking to herself how fortunate she is to have this ritual, how lucky she is to have landed herself a boyfriend that was not only talented, intelligent and good-looking but also the Mayors son._

_No one had thought she could do it, Lucas Scott had been a loose cannon in his past, he'd had somewhat of a reputation as being almost as big of a womanizer as his father and his older brother but Blair had managed to first capture his interest and then capture his heart and now he was hers._

_She knew without a doubt there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her and she could honestly say the same went for her in regard to him._

_Her musings however are cut short when she hears doors swing open and she looks up in the direction of the noise to see Haley Van Der Woodsen make her way into the gym, no doubt coming from the girl's locker room._

_She's wearing the navy blue track suit all the Ravens cheerleaders wear after games and rallies, she has a gym bag slung over her shoulder and her eyes seem to be scanning the area for someone or something._

_She nods to Blair as she walks past her, her mouth in a grim line and Blair can't help but think she looks rundown and slightly jumpy._

_If it had been just two years earlier Blair would have tried to find out what was wrong with her but it's not and Blair really can't bring herself to care._

_She really can't pinpoint when her feelings towards her one time close friend and confidant twisted into what they now were. When she'd started viewing the golden-haired girl as a threat instead of an ally, she does however know that it wasn't one big reason in particular but more a collection of little things that built up until finally she'd exploded._

_Words were exchanged, feelings had been hurt and in the aftermath the decision had been made by both girls to cut their losses and put an end to their friendship._

_She watches Haley as she walks towards someone standing in the back of the room and as they walk out of the gym together Blair cant help but think it's slightly curious that Haley Van Der Woodsen just left the gym looking entirely too secretive with her best friends boyfriend._

"Am I done now?" she asks the detectives once answering their questions "Because I have a council meeting in ten minutes and as Student Body President it doesn't look good if I'm late."

"Yes Miss Waldorf we're done for now" Detective Roe nods a little "We'll be in touch if we need any further assistance from you."

Blair rolls her eyes discreetly before standing and gathering her things.

She can't be sure but she imagines she feels both their eyes boring into her back as she walks out the door.

**ORSXORS**

"Miss Gattina, can you tell us what your relationship was to Miss Van Der Woodsen?"

Rachel stared up at the two detectives in front of her in wonder, she really doesn't see how they don't already know what her relationship to Haley was, she'd thought someone would have filled them in, it was after all widespread knowledge that Rachel Gattina and Haley Van Der Woodsen hated each other with fiery passion.

"We pretty much couldn't stand each other."

"Why is that?" the younger male detective asked her resting his arms on the table in front of him and leaning forward.

He was cute in a bizarrely geeky kind of way and she wondered temporarily if he'd be up for a little one on one interview later in the evening, he didn't look the type to break the rules though so she probably won't ask.

"There needs to be a reason?" she asked smirking a little "I suppose we just rubbed each other the wrong way."

_She really doesn't like being the new girl in school, everything is entirely to difficult, breaking into pre – established cliques can be murder and three days into being a student a Tree Hill High has shown her that the cliques in this school play to win._

_Seeing the sign for Cheerleading try outs had been like a gift from the gods in Rachel Gattina's eyes, she wanted to rule her new school and at Tree Hill High the epitome of popularity would always be their athletics department and their Cheerleading squad was among the best in the state._

_Rachel was rich, she was sexy and she could move, the team would be lucky to have her, especially since the other girls who had tried out seemed second-rate in comparison._

_But she couldn't be sure they'd take her, considering the captains of the team didn't really seem too fond of her._

_Brooke Davis and Haley Van Der Woodsen had been the first two people she'd met at Tree Hill High and to say it was hate at first sight would be an understatement._

_Juniors like herself, it became apparent to her almost off the bat that the two girls were the ones to get on the good side of, unfortunately for her she'd made the mistake of trying to hook up with Brooke's boyfriend at a nightclub the night before and by the time she was introduced to the school, Brooke had made it her mission to make her life hell._

"_Gattina, Rachel." Haley called her name, much to the redheads surprise and she stepped forward confidently hand on her hip as she looked at the shorter girl in curiosity._

_Haley didn't look at all happy, so Rachel figured the odds must have worked out in her favor. The captains who had been vehemently against her joining the squad had been overruled by the staff advisor._

_The blonde haired girl thrust a uniform into her hand and a clip board folder "Practice is at seven sharp Monday and Wednesday mornings and nine am on Saturdays," Haley jerked her head toward the clip board, her whole attitude no-nonsense "Make sure you have the schedule and rules memorized before your first practice."_

_The blonde's Brunette haired sidekick spoke up then "And just so you know, you're on probation." Brooke smirked at Rachel condescendingly "Mess up once and you're off the squad."_

_Rachel nodded her head resolving to tow the line at least until her probationary period was over. She smiled secretly to herself as she left the gym, her uniform in hand, she'd play nice for now, but once she got herself on the map with Tree Hill's elite, Brooke Davis and Haley Van Der Woodsen were going to be kissing her boot heels as she took over their places in the hierarchy._

"Look detectives, this is high school, you don't need a reason to hate someone." Rachel explained to the man and woman in front of her "Sometimes the fact they exist at all is enough."

**ORSXORS**

She wasn't sure what she was doing here, talking to these two detectives, she hadn't even wanted to come to school in the first place and the fact that she now had to sit through questions from two people who had never known her best friend was starting to irk her.

Brooke had spent much of the previous night crying into her best friends pillow, trying to come to terms with the fact that she was gone, and now she didn't think she had the energy to spend an undisclosed amount of time talking about her, especially when she still hadn't really come to terms with it as much as she could.

She still keeps expecting to wake up from a real feeling nightmare.

"I know this must be hard Miss Davis, we'll try not to keep you too long."

The teenager smiles thankfully at Detective Roe, swiping at a stray tear as it makes its way down her cheek "Thank you." she sniffed a little trying to compose herself "What do you need to know?"

"You and the victim were friends right?"

"She was my best friend, we've know each other practically from the cradle." Brooke answered a small smile making her way onto her face thinking back over the times they'd spent together "Her family are like my own."

_Twelve year old Brooke Davis stood impatiently next to her mother as the woman talked with Lily Van Der Woodsen, hoping her mom would stop talking and leave so that she could go seek out Haley, her best friend._

"_Thank you again for this Lily. We really just couldn't deal with taking Brooke along with us on this trip; it's going to be busy as it is."_

_Staying at the Van Der Woodsen's was a common occurrence in Brooke's life. Her parents were constantly going away to some place or another and neither of them could really be bothered with taking their only child with them, Brooke would stay at Haley's house for weeks at a time and she hated leaving when her parent's returned._

"_It's really not a problem Victoria, we love having her." Lily smiled down at the young brunette haired girl "Why don't you head down into the entertainment room, Haley is down there with Charles and Serena, she's been waiting for you."_

_Brooke grinned at the woman leaving her bags by the front door to take up later she headed down to her best friend not even bothering to say goodbye to her mother._

_She heard Haley before she saw her, a loud shriek and giggles in the air, stepping into the room the sight of her best friend locked in a heated cushion fight with Chuck Bass, the fourteen year old best friend of Haley's older sister Serena._

"_Are the three of you having fun with out me?" Brooke grinned as she stepped towards the couch grabbing hold of a cushion and hurling at Chuck's head with a giggle "Quit picking on my Haley, Chuck or I will be forced to take action."_

_The older boy smirked over at her but remained silent._

_Haley smiled brightly as she skipped over and enveloped her friend in a tight hug "Tigger! Finally you're here!"_

"_I know Tutor – girl I thought my parent were never going to get their acts together." _

_Their nicknames for each other had been thought up when they were much younger, Haley was super smart even for a child and Brooke was super bouncy and the nicknames had seemed to fit._

"_Well you're here now," the blonde haired girl pulled her friend over towards the couch where the two teenagers in the room were chatting amongst themselves "And that's all that matters."_

_Brooke settled down on the couch beside her best friend and sighed happily to herself._

_She finally felt at home._

"How about the relationship between Haley and your boyfriend?"

"I'm not sure what you're asking me, they were friends."

"Miss Davis is it at all possible that the relationship between the Victim and your boyfriend," the detective glanced down at her notes quickly searching for a name "Nathaniel Archibald had a relationship outside of the bonds of friendship?"

Brooke met the eyes of the dark-haired detective sharply, her question whirling around her head; she really wasn't sure how she could be asked that.

She wasn't even sure why she would be asked that.

And now she wasn't sure how to answer it either.


	4. Chapter Three

**(Authors Note) **Hey guys so this update isn't nearly as long as I would have liked but with the influx of PM's I've gotten of both the begging and death threat variety in order for me to update I figured I better give you all something. So heres chapter three and a request for some patience in regards to the next chapter, I've had a difficult, heart breaking couple of months, I'm studying two Bachelor courses and looking for work so my fanfic, while I refuse to give up on it will be slower in coming until I can get my groove back.

Thank you so much though to everyone that is reading, reviewing, alerting, messaging etc, sometimes your messages are the only good thing about my day.

* * *

**-Chapter 3-**

Nate Archibald was the very picture of all American boy, he was an athlete, an average scholar, an all round good guy, who made a great friend and a decent boyfriend.

He was not a cheater like the detectives seemed to be implying, at least not any more, and he definitely wasn't the type of guy that should be questioned about how close he was to his girlfriend's best friend.

"I've told you three times already" he growls at the detectives in front of him, frustrated with them and frustrated with himself "I was not having an affair with Haley Van Der Woodsen!"

"Look son," the female dark haired detective leans toward him "We have witnesses that place you as possibly one of the last people to see the victim alive, just be straight with us, were the two of you seeing each other on the side?"

"No we weren't" he sighs tiredly rubbing a hand over his face "Look we did take off together after the basketball game that night, but not for the reason you two think."

"_Thanks again for doing this Haley"_

_The girl in question looked up and grinned as her and Nate watched the salesperson wrap the gift they'd just brought. It was late, possibly around nine o'clock at night and the two of them were out together putting a considerably large dent in Nate's credit card._

"_Anything for our girl," she stated taking the bag from the cashier and turning to leave "I'm just glad you talked the store into opening for us. Because there's no way we'd have been able to get this without her finding out about it during regular hours, Brooke is totally a Jewelry store ninja."_

_Nate chuckles a little at his friends fairly accurate assessment of his girlfriend, her best friend Brooke, chances are she would have known about the gift around an hour after he'd brought it if he'd shopped regular hours, which is why, in an attempt to completely surprise her he'd opted instead to flash around some of his fathers money and get the store to open for him._

_Haley hands the bag to him and smiles sincerely "She'll love this Nate" It's like she's reassuring all his unspoken fears with those words "You did good."_

"_I just," The sandy haired boy swallows a lump in his throat "I want to prove that I've changed" he says referring to a time not to long ago when he'd done some things he regrets whole heartedly now "I want to show her that I'm in for the long haul."_

_He notices the girl beside him has a distant look in her eyes "Haley are you okay?"_

_She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts and plasters on a smile he knows isn't entirely real "Yeah I'm fine" she mutters "I just have…lots of thoughts."_

_He doesn't one hundred percent believe her, her mood has seemed to flip in a matter of seconds and it worries him "Are you sure? You know I've got your back if you need it"_

_Haley smiles at him, shakes her head again and chuckles, all signs of lingering melancholy clearing from her eyes "Yeah I'm sure" she nudges him playfully in the ribs "Come on Prince Charming, you better get to Cinderella's party before she starts wondering if you've turned into a pumpkin or not."_

_They start off towards the back of the store where both of their cars are parked, Nate glancing down at her as they go "You're not coming?"_

"_Nope, I've got something I have to do" Haley answers vaguely "You go have fun for the both of us."_

_They said their goodbyes and Nate waited until Haley was safely in her car before making his way toward his own._

_He doesn't know why but he has the horrible feeling something big was going on with his friend, maybe something too big for her to handle on her own._

"Then I got into my car and I went to meet Brooke at the party she was throwing." Nate finished explaining "I should have tried harder to get Haley to open up; I know that, I feel so bad for not trying harder, maybe if I had…"

He leaves the rest of the sentence hanging in the air, but the meaning of his words are not lost on the two detectives in the room, who see him for who he really is.

Not so much the all American boy but more a grieving friend feeling guilty over something he had no control over, guilty because in his mind he had failed to help.

**ORSXORS**

_He feels her presence beside him, the steady rise and fall of her chest as she presses into his back; he can smell the vanilla scent on her skin._

"_You have to wake up now."_

"_I'm awake."_

"_No baby, you're not."_

_He feels the soft tendrils of her hair brush lightly against his shoulder as she leans in closer to him, her warm breath tickling his ear as she places a whisper of a kiss to his neck._

"_Wake up. Open the door."_

"Chuck!"

The pounding on the door wakes him from his sleep, disorientated slightly from the dream he was having; the dream that had seemed so painfully real, he stumbles out of bed.

"Open the door Chuck!"

He reaches the door and clicks the lock, swinging the door open to face his unwanted arrivals.

"You look like hell and you smell like a frat house." Serena mutters as he turns his back on her and her brother and makes his way into the kitchen of his studio apartment.

"What do you two want?" Chuck asked as he slumped down on a stool resting his arms on his kitchens breakfast bar.

"We were worried," the youngest Van Der Woodsen stated, sincerity shining from his melancholic looking eyes "They're having a memorial service for Haley tonight at the school."

The dark haired boy's face hardened as he sat up rigidly straight, glaring daggers at his girlfriend's brother and sister "I'm not going."

Both the Van Der Woodsen's seemed taken back by his behavior.

"Why the hell not?" It was Serena's turn to glare now "Don't you think its only right you turn up to an event honoring your girlfriend's life? Doesn't Haley deserve that?"

Chuck scoffed loudly standing up forcefully from his stool "A gym full of people, celebrating the life of a girl most didn't even know for real is not what Haley deserves!" his voice trembled slightly with his impassioned declaration "What she deserves is to still be breathing!"

Both Eric and Serena were shaken by the anger that tinted the young mans speech, his eyes were wild and bottomless wells of pent up emotion and grief and to the remaining Van Der Woodsen siblings he looked almost like a stranger.

Chuck was Serena's oldest friend, she knew him almost as well as she knew herself but at this moment it was almost like she was looking at a stranger and for the first time since she could remember she had no idea what to say to him.

"You're right." Eric's quiet voice broke through the silence Chuck's outburst had created "But we need you there Chuck, we need you there because you're one of the people that did know the real her, you're one of the people that loved her."

All the fight seemed to leave Chuck as he took in what Haley's brother was saying and he once again slumped down onto his stool, his hands cradling his too heavy head.

"We'll go now." Serena grabbed Eric's hand and squeezed gently, drawing strength from her brother who suddenly reminded her so much of their sister it was astounding "Just try to come please Chuck, and call us if you need anything."

Chuck nodded his head slowly and the two left with one last look in his direction.

Once the door clicked shut, he allowed the tears that had been threatening to overwhelm him during their visit to finally break their way to the surface of his eyes as he made his way back towards his bed, hoping to go back to the place he'd been before they arrived.

That dream world where Haley was still with him and everything was right in his world.

**ORSXORS**

The gym was darkened slightly, hundreds of people sitting in the stands not there for a basketball game like usual but there to say goodbye to one of the schools most beloved students.

Pictures of Haley had been blown up and placed around in various spots and wreaths upon wreaths of flowers had been placed everywhere.

Brooke Davis had a platinum gold promise ring on her finger and all doubts about her boyfriend and her best friend no longer clouded her mind.

Nate had explained everything to her, told her exactly what he'd told the detectives about why Haley and him and been spending secretive time together and Brooke had felt so foolish for ever believing even for a second that the two people she loved most in the world would ever betray her in such a way.

She made her way up onto the podium in the school gymnasium with her mind clear of all suspicions but with her heart heavy with grief and guilt for believing ill of her best friend.

"I didn't prepare a speech," Brooke looked out to the crowd but concentrated on the row of seats occupied by the Van Der Woodsens, Nate and Chuck "I wanted to but nothing I wrote down seemed to feel right."

Brooke paused for a second and took a breath, shaking her head as a small sad smile graced her features "Haley would have had a speech; she would have had dozens of card sized pieces of paper filled with just the right things to say." She chuckled a little fondly "Hell she probably would have had my speech written for me too because she knows how bad I am at these sorts of things."

In the crowd there were a few scattered chuckles from some of the students who knew Haley and Brooke. Lily Van Der Woodsen was smiling slightly, the glistening of fresh tears shining in her eyes, Brooke's orbs met hers as they shared a moment "Because that's what Haley did you know, helped people, fixed things, she was always ready to lend a ear or give a hand, she was…she was so special."

The gym suddenly felt too small to Brooke, like the walls were closing in around her, as she started to choke up, tears marring her face as she spoke about her best friend, words directly from her heart "She was beautiful and talented, kind and caring, she was the type of person who believed in the goodness of people, she was more than my best friend, she was my sister, and I miss her with every beat of my heart. Haley Van Der Woodsen was truly one of a kind and we were all blessed to have known her."

Brooke let out a strangled sob and took a step back, no longer able to continue on. The crowd applauded what she had said, but for the first time in her life she couldn't bask in that applause, she could barely here it.

All she could do was walk blindly back toward the row of seats and fall helplessly into the waiting arms of her best friends mother as they both sobbed out their grief.

**ORSXORS**

After Brooke had finished talking he'd tuned out, not interested in what anyone else from the High School really had to say, now with the speeches over Chuck was ready to leave, the only thing stopping him was the fact that he was there to support Lily, Serena and Eric and he didn't want to leave them in the lurch.

It's not that he doesn't want people to be mourning Haley, if he had his way the whole world would be spilling tears over the loss, it's just that mourning her makes everything seem so final, and he's not ready for it to be that yet.

Plus he has issues with half the people in the room, some personal, some on Haley's behalf, he'd spotted Blair Waldorf in the crowd earlier, seen the Scott family and almost ran into Rachel Gattina and he really didn't think that any of those people deserved to be at any event that honored his girlfriend.

His eyes unconsciously seek out the Van Der Woodsens as he watches from a distance as the Scotts approach them, Debroah Scott, the matriarch pulling Lily into an awkward hug Chuck knows is more for show then comfort, while her Mayor husband looks on.

Dan Scott is a formidable appearing man, all dark eyes and stoic disposition, he holds out his hand to Lily once his wife steps back and even from where he's standing he can see how uncomfortable Lily is in his presence.

Chuck watches as the Mayor next turns to Serena and Chuck is not at all shocked to see his best friend flinch slightly as the man grasps her hand, he's not sure why but there's a feeling in his stomach he cant seem to shake.

_He'd lost his girlfriend somewhere in the crowd of people populating Town Hall for the towns annual Spring Ball. One second she'd been dancing in his arms, smiling brightly and then the next she'd gotten a look on her face like she'd just eaten something distasteful and had run off out the main ballroom doors._

_He'd followed and was now wandering the halls in search of her._

_He hears her voice coming from an office, she sounds flustered and angry and he stops in his tracks not wanting to alert her to his presence._

"_He can't do those things to you!"_

_He can just make out her features through a crack in the slightly open door, her hands are clenched at her sides and she looks like a tightly coiled snake ready to attack._

"_He can't treat you like that, he has no right!"_

"_He's the Mayor Hales,"_

_He recognizes the voice of who she's talking to, her sister, his best friend Serena._

"_He can do whatever the hell he wants. Besides I have to do this, you don't understand, you don't know…"_

_Her voice cuts off suddenly like she's said too much and he hears in Haley's voice that she knows it too._

"_What's he have on you Serena?"_

"_Nothing, don't worry about it, just trust me okay?"_

_He doesn't hear what his girlfriend says back but soon foot steps are coming towards the door and he can hear the rustling of fabric, the door opens to reveal his blonde best friend, who looks at him a moment with an unreadable expression in her eyes before making her way past him and down the hall._

_He steps into the room and his eyes land on his girlfriend sitting tiredly on a sleek leather chaise lounge "Is everything okay in here?" he asks as he makes his way over and sits beside her, his arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders and draw her near._

_He places a kiss to the top of her head as she nods her head slowly, her arm snaking around his midsection._

_She looks older than her sixteen years, so tired and suddenly sad as she rests her forehead against his shoulder like the weight of the world is baring down on her "Can you take me home Chuck" her voice is soft and weary. _

"_I don't feel like dancing anymore."_

He's not sure why he thought of that, not now of all days, and he cant put his finger on why it seems so important, but his instincts are telling him that what little he knows about the conversation between his girlfriend and Serena is only the tip of the iceberg and he's got the sinking suspicion that the whole truth might just be something worth looking into.


	5. Chapter Four

**Authors Note**

Hey guys, as some of you already know my laptop has taken a trip to computer heaven and I'm still not sure if I'll be able to recover anything from the hard drive so I'm going to have to remap out all my current WIP's.

I basically wrote this update based on what I could remember from my old notes so it's a tad shorter than originally planned.

As always thank you to all my readers, alerters and reviewers, your kind encouragement and extreme patience is always appreciated.

I hope you enjoy and I'm very sorry for the long authors note.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

She places her glass of red wine on the smooth polished top of her daughter's piano, her sixth glass of the night, and perches on the cushioned stool in front of the instrument.

Lily's fingers graze across the ivory keys reverently, not strong enough to pull a sound from the instrument that had brought her Haley such joy.

_Her baby boy was down for his afternoon nap, her husband in his home office working and her eldest daughter at the neighbour's house for the afternoon playing, the only noise in the otherwise quiet house was the sound of her middle child skipping around the grand piano in the family room like it was her newest prize._

_Lily walks into the room as Haley scoots herself onto the piano stool and turns to her a blinding smile on her impish features._

"_Mama look what daddy taught me." Her dainty little fingers race over the keys as she plays a melody that her mother is quite sure resembles Chopsticks._

_The pure unadulterated glee radiating from her tiny little five year old body brings a smile to Lily's lips "Do you like the piano sweetheart?"_

"_I love it mama!" her little girl exclaimed exuberantly "And daddy said if I practise real hard one day I'll be the bestest at it."_

"_I know you will be baby girl." Lily smiled leaning down to kiss her daughter tenderly on the forehead 'The absolute very best."_

When her husband had died, the only slight reprieve from the pain and loneliness she experienced in the subsequent months had come from the moments when she would sit and listen to her youngest daughter play and for those few shining minutes Lily would forget all her troubles because she was too busy being captivated by the beauty Haley could create with just a simple instrument and her hands to coax the melody from it.

There's no melody now that can take away the pain in Lily's heart, no moments reprieve and only the sweet numbness she feels with every mouthful of the red nectar in her wine glass even comes close.

**XORSXORSX**

He finds her bedroom comforting, the smell of her perfume lingering in the air surrounding him like a thick blanket, so much so that if he closes his eyes tight enough and breathes in deep it isn't hard to imagine that she's sitting right there beside him.

He's nestled in the centre of her bed with notebooks, photo albums and trinket boxes scattered around him, all of them pieces of the girl his sister was and could have been.

Eric had started with the notebooks, Haley's endless supply of plain black notebooks filled with page upon page of pretty words and lovely songs about everything and everyone she had ever loved or knew.

But reading his sisters inner most thoughts had felt like too much of an invasion, so he'd placed them down and moved onto her photographs instead.

Photo's cataloguing events in their lives both significant and arbitrary. Chuck sleeping, Brooke dancing, their mother in the middle of eating a sandwich. Family holidays, birthdays, graduations, there were photos to match any occasion no matter how small or trivial.

"_Another picture?" Eric mock glared over at his sisters as he got momentarily blinded by the flash and flare "Seriously?"_

_His sisters are sprawled against the headboard of his bed, the younger of the two grinning at him from behind the lens of her camera._

"_It's not every day our baby brother leaves us to go off to some fabulously fancy boarding school hundreds of miles away." Haley clicks another picture before lowering her camera to her side "I need to take pictures of what you look like now so Rena and I don't forget your pretty face."_

_The boy zips up the suitcase he'd just been filling with clothes and picks up an empty one "Well how about taking a break and helping me pack the rest of my things?"_

"_Nah" Haley shakes her head an impish grin lighting her lips "I'm actually pretty good right where I am."_

"_Yeah me too." Their older sister joins in the conversation a lazy smile on her face as she holds out her hand for Eric to take "Now get over here little brother."_

_The young teen sighs, shaking his head a little as he plops onto the bed in the middle of his sisters, the two girls moving closer to him until he's squished firmly in between them._

"_Now remember to keep a secret stash of chocolate somewhere in your dorm room." Serena advises her face a mask of seriousness although her eyes are twinkling with mirth "You can use it to bribe your teachers for extra credit."_

"_Wouldn't cash work better?"_

_Serena shakes her head "No trust me, chocolate trumps cash every time."_

"_And make sure you email us every day," Haley adds a teasing lilt to her voice "With details on all the cute boys in your classes."_

_The teenage boy blushes a light red as his two sisters chuckle at his discomfort._

"_Awww Hales I think we're embarrassing him." The older sister grins over at the younger one as Eric's cheeks continue to deepen in their red tinge._

"_We're supposed to embarrass him" Haley shrugs before bumping her shoulder lightly into Eric's "What else are big sisters for?" She ruffles his hair a little before squeezing closer to him and raising her camera into the air in front of them "Now say cheese!"_

Eric stares at the photo in his hand of Serena, Haley and himself squished together on his bed, smiles lighting their faces. He hadn't noticed when he'd seen the picture all those times before but now he's seems to be almost transfixed by the slight tinges of sadness he seems to spot present in all three of their eyes.

He imagines the sadness comes from the thought of the three of them being separated and he wonders if Serena and he will wear that look in their eyes forever now, because one part of them is gone.

**XORSXORSX**

There's a loud clang of piano keys coming from the family room below and Serena knows without having to look that it's most definitely the sound of her mother passing out after one too many glasses of red.

She makes her way down the stairs and heads straight towards the room.

Seeing her mother's head resting heavily against the ivory keys like a dead white, she makes her way toward the woman and manages to get her to stand shakily on her own two feet so she can lead her to her bedroom.

This isn't the first time in the past weeks she's found herself in this position, its actually becoming somewhat of a routine and since she has no idea how to lessen the pain in her mother's heart, she can only hope, as she helps the intoxicated woman into her bedroom and into bed, that the wine will do the trick at least for a little while.

Having done what was needed to be done, she shuts her mother's door softly before heading down the hall toward her own room. Her sister's bedroom door is slightly open, soft light streaming out into the unlit hallway, her brother is sitting smack centre in the middle of their sister's large plush bed, a photo clutched tightly in his hand and tears streaming down his face.

She dismisses the idea of going into the room and comforting him, and instead opts to seek sanctuary in her own room.

She knows she's being selfish leaving Eric on his own when he so obviously needs her but the thought of stepping foot into her baby sisters room at the moment causes her stomach to turn, It doesn't feel right, especially when the fact that Haley's not in there makes it painfully obvious that Serena had broken the one promise she'd made long ago that she had wanted more than anything to keep.

_Serena stands quietly at the door of her mommy's hospital room with all the patience a four year old can muster._

_Her mommy is looking down at the small bundle in her arms like its Christmas morning and she'd just been given the very best gift in the whole wide world, her daddy has a small smile on his face and tears in his eyes, he looks both happy and sad at the same time and Serena doesn't understand why._

_But she soon forgets to ask when her parents beckon her into the room and she makes her way to her mommy's side._

_Her daddy lifts her up so that she's perched gently on the hospital bed beside her mommy and the new baby and Serena places a little hand on her mother's arm for balance as she leans closer to the baby to take a better look._

_Serena's only ever seen one other baby up close before, last month when Mrs Davis had brought her new baby Brooke over for a visit and Serena had held her just for a few minutes, but Brooke had cried the entire time so the young girl already knew that she liked this baby a lot better because she was sleeping and quiet and she looked exactly like one of the pretty dolls her daddy always brought home for her when he went away for work._

_She reaches a hand out toward her new sister and gently runs her pinkie finger over the baby's soft little cheek, eyes widening in wonder when her sisters tiny lips seem to quirk up into a sleepy smile._

"_I'm going to be the best big sister ever." Her eyes are filled with childlike sincerity as she turns to her mom, her voice full of promise and her heart filled with joy "And I'll protect her forever."_

She hadn't protected her though, not when it really mattered at any rate, because if she'd done her job, if she'd done what she had sworn to do at a mere four years old, her sister might still be alive.

But she'd failed, she'd failed Haley, she'll only end up failing Eric and last of all she'll continue to fail herself.

**XORSXORSX**

_He should have been working, but as the sun streamed through the windows of his too large office, work had seemed to be the last place he wanted to be._

_He'd taken a car instead and drove the short distance from the centre of town where his office building was located, to the local high school where he knows his girlfriend should be in the middle of her lunch break._

_Standing amongst the throng of students, he almost feels like one of those creepy college guys home from break that spend their time scanning the local high school campus for hot girls, only he'd dropped out of college to run his late father's business and he wasn't interested in hot high school girls just one stunningly beautiful one._

_His eyes drift toward her somewhat of their own accord and he's starting to think that what Serena says about him having a finely tuned in built Haley radar just might be true because there's no denying the fact if she's around nine times out of ten he'll find her no matter how large the crowd happens to be._

_She's sitting alone at a wooden bench biting into an apple as she flips through a magazine, her hair nestled around her shoulders like an exquisite Halo and she's wearing her Black Ravens cheer uniform, the light hitting her smooth, unblemished legs reminding him exactly why he still sometimes attends Tree Hill High School sporting events even though he hasn't been a student there for almost four years._

_As he makes his way over to her she looks up from her magazine and smiles in his direction, as he steps in front of her she lifts her head up toward him. He brushes his lips against hers, caressing her cheek with his fingertips as he takes a seat beside her._

"_No Brooke today?" he asks as he pulls back, the hand on her cheek dropping to caress her arm as he puts a fraction of distance between them._

_She shakes her head a little "She and Nate left about 15 minutes ago to study." She says the last part with air quotes her eyes sparkling in a way Chuck swears the only ever sparkle for him._

"_Between you and me," She continues with a grin "I pity anyone that steps foot near the boiler room this lunch period."_

_Chuck swipes her apple, smirking as a pout forms on her lips as he takes a large bite "You know I wouldn't totally be against you and me quickly visiting the Janitors closet near the gym." He hands her apple back "I haven't seen the inside of that place in years."_

"_Excuse me?" Haley's brow knits together and there's a small frown on her face as she gazes at him "Exactly how many girls got to see the inside of this closet with you as their guide?"_

"_None that counted" Chuck answers closing the space between them to peck lightly at her lips "Wanna be the first?"_

_The girl giggled lightly wrapping her arms around his neck "You are deplorable." She tilted her head back to meet his eyes "You're lucky I love you."_

"_I tell myself that every day."_

"_How about I take a raincheck on the janitor's closet," Haley whispered softly leaning in close to his ear "And come over to your place after the game tonight and let you ravish me the proper way instead?"_

_A wolfish grin appeared on Chucks face as Haley once again looked up at him her mouth twisted into a tiny little grin._

"_I think I like the way you think."_

He's been going over the last time he'd seen her in his head for days trying to see if he could remember anything odd or out of the ordinary, anything that might help him find some answers but every time he thinks about it he's struck by the realization that on that particular day out of all their days together he hadn't told her he loved her when she'd said it to him.

The fact that she'd potentially taken her last breath on a day he hadn't said those words to her makes him feel so violently ill he physically has to stop himself from emptying the contents of his stomach onto the cheap linoleum flooring in the bar he's currently sitting in.

Chuck was clearly not in any frame of mind yet to seek out the answers he craved for himself so he'd made the decision to employ some outside assistance.

The Private Investigator sitting beside him and the run down cowboy bar twenty minutes outside Tree Hill had been on Bass Industries payroll for many years and Chuck knew for a fact that before his father passed away, Bart Bass had used the man in several of his more underhanded and illegal business dealings.

He knew the guy was loyal, discreet and above all he got shit done, which is exactly the reason why Chuck had no qualms about calling on him in the first place.

The younger man slides a yellow envelope full of cash across the bar toward the older man and then places a photo on top of the bundle. The Investigator picks up the photograph with callused fingers staring at the glossy paper for a minute before pocketing both it and the money.

"Are you sure you want this guy followed kid?" The man asks his voice gruff as he tilts his head to the side "Could bring a whole lot of heat onto your head if he were to cotton on."

Chuck takes a long slow drink of the previously untouched glass of Whiskey he had sitting in front of him before meeting the Investigators gaze with steely unflinching eyes "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Daniel Scott was dirty, dirtier than all the Basses combined, now all Chuck had to do was find out if he was dirty enough to kill, because if he was, if he'd had anything do with his girlfriend's murder, the things Chuck would do to him would make Bart Bass' worst crimes look like mere child's play.


	6. Chapter Five

**Authors Note: **

Sorry for the delay people but I've only just got my net back up and running. To all my readers I just want to say thank you so much for your reviews and your alerts and of course your patience.

Also somewhere buried in this chapter is a rather vague clue to who the killer is. How many of you super sleuths out there are going to pick up on it?

* * *

**-Chapter Five-**

There's a bridge just before you reach the main business district of Tree Hill that Haley and Brooke had spent a great deal of their childhood playing under and around. It was near a small forest like property and both the girls had thought of the spot as theirs.

Brooke had woken up early that morning with the inexplicable urge to go down to the bridge so she'd set off as soon as she had woken herself fully up, choosing to walk instead of driving so she'd have sometime alone with her thoughts.

She'd walked the route millions of times before, her and Haley together. If ever one of them was ever upset or lonely, most of the time the other would find them down by the tunnels. When Haley's father had died, Brooke had found her there, when Brooke would race there upset over her parents non interest in her, Haley would always turn up to coax a smile.

Walking their now seems so different, but the grieving teen girl can't help but think once she reaches her destination things might feel better. That maybe if she visited their spot, she might somehow feel just a step closer to her much missed friend.

She starts heading down the incline that leads to underneath the bridge and as it comes into view she spots a familiar head of sandy hair.

"Eric?" She calls out the boy turning to her as she swiftly makes her way toward him "What are you doing down here?"

The young boy sighs; Brooke can see his grief shrouding him like a heavy mist.

"I just needed to get out of the house for a while. Hales used to spend so much time down here that I thought…" He looks down embarrassed, swallows and tries again "I thought maybe…"

Brooke understands what he's trying to say "You thought if you came down here you'd somehow feel closer to her." She states sitting down next to the boy "Like maybe she was still here."

"Yeah." Eric shakes his head another sigh escaping from his lips "Pretty stupid I guess."

"No I don't think so." Brooke reassures him a small melancholy smile on her features "Why do you think I'm here?"

"I just miss her so much. Everything's falling apart without her here."

She doesn't know what to say to him, how to comfort him, so she says nothing, just reaches for his hand and squeezes it lightly as they sit there gazing out at nothing and not making a sound.

She doesn't like the silence "She was so proud of you." She informs him after a minute hoping that her words offer a little comfort "She loved you so much."

"I know" Eric smiles sadly, his eyes brimming with tears Brooke can tell he's trying very hard to keep at bay.

"She loved you too."

"She was the only person in my life that knew all of me. I feel like part of me is missing now she's gone."

"I just don't understand." Eric's voice is suddenly hard, his mouth set in a grim line as a few tears fall from his eyes, she watches as he brings his arm up to scrub them angrily away.

"I just don't understand why someone wanted to take her away from us!"

"Neither do I." Brooke looks him the eye, her heart breaking for him, breaking for her too "I wish I had the answers but I don't."

She wants to help, wracks her brain for anything that may bring him just a modicum of relief from the pain he's feeling.

Then it hits her. She stands up and reaches a hand out for him "Come on. I have something I think you might like to see."

**XORSXORSX**

Tree Hill Library was quiet and almost empty which was typical for a Sunday afternoon, Blair had spent almost every Sunday in the place since she was ten years old so if anyone would know it would be her.

When she was younger, before the fight that busted their friendship apart had occurred, back when they were still the closest of friends, Haley had spent them there with her.

Blair still remembers those days as clear as if they had happened yesterday; she remembers how magical it had felt to have a special place to visit with her friend that only the two of them really appreciated.

She'd sometimes envied the friendship Haley and Brooke had shared, the sisterhood between them, but Sundays, with Haley in the library made Blair feel like she was cherished just the same as Brooke was and back then that had been enough for her.

Blair stands quietly from her chair and with a clear purpose in mind heads towards the row of shelves hidden at the very back of the library.

The section smells older than the rest of the building and she knows that not many people venture into the section but her and Haley used to spend so much of their time there that Blair finds herself drawn to it now.

Her fingers skim over the spines of the old forgotten books, searching until finally she rests on one special book in particular. Pulling it out from its home on the shelf, she opens it to the last page and smiles as she looks down at the barely legible handwriting of her eleven year old self and the girl she had called best friend.

_A worn copy of The Great Gatsby lay open on the ground between the two preteen girls sitting cross-legged on the worn carpet of the dimly lit library._

"_Why are we doing this again?" Blair asked trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible for fear of being caught but the old lady who ran the front desk._

_Haley looked up, a pink pen poised in her hand and an impish smile gracing her features "So that anytime we're feeling bad, or we're upset we can come here, find this book, read this page and smile because we're the only two people in the world that know it's here."_

_Blair nodded her head and smiled glancing down at the page "What did you write?"_

"_Haley Van Der Woodsen thinks Blair Waldorf is a Rock star!"_

_The friends shared a warm smile before Haley passed the book to Blair and handed her the pen._

"_It's your turn."_

_Blair grabbed the pen and eagerly started to write._

"_Can I see?"_

"_Hold on a second, I haven't finished." With a few more flourishes of the pen Blair looked up and presented the book and the words she had written to her impatient friend._

_**Blair Waldorf will be Haley Van Der Woodsens friend forever.**_

The smile slowly drops from the dark haired girls features as she rereads the childish writings of her yester years. She closes the book and returns it to its place on the shelf to gather more dust.

Back then she'd meant those words with everything she had and everything she was and if she had the chance to go back and fix things somehow, she likes to think that she'd take the opportunity because the type of girl she'd been back then wouldn't even recognize the type of girl she was now.

Often sad, mostly alone and wishing for second chances she'll never have.

**XORSXORSX**

"Where are we going?" His sister's best friend was leading him through the forest near the bridge they'd been sitting under and Eric was starting to have a hard time keeping up "It feels like we've been walking for hours."

"We're almost there." The dark haired girl glanced back at him and threw him a quick smile "Trust me you'll love this."

Brooke came to a stop in front of what appeared to be a row of overgrown hedges; she nodded to Eric before squeezing in between the bushy leaves and disappearing from view.

Eric quickly followed her actions and once he had made it through and out the other side, the sight that greeted him nearly took his breath away for a second.

A small lake, its water as blue as the sky surrounded by the prettiest wild flowers he'd ever seen. Next to the lake under a large shady elm tree was a little wooden bench to sit on.

"How…How did you know this was here?"

Brooke sighed softly her hair sweeping across the lake "Haley and I found it by accident one day while we were walking." She made her way toward the wooden bench and took a seat, Eric following her and standing close by.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

The boy nodded once again taking in his surroundings before his companion spoke again.

"Here." She said patting the spot next to her "Sit down here and close your eyes."

Eric gave Brooke a curious look but followed her instructions, closing his eyes as he took a seat beside her.

"If you close your eyes real tight and concentrate you can almost hear her laughing, almost smell her perfume. You can see her dancing in the wild flowers."

He let the sound of Brooke's voice wash over him, carrying him away until suddenly everything she was describing somehow became real. He could smell her perfume, he could picture her dancing in those flowers, he did hear her laugh and for the first time since he'd been told the terrible news he felt something a little close to peace.

Eric slowly opened his eyes turning to face the girl beside him, the girl Haley had thought of as her soul sister, the girl Eric suddenly felt a bond with himself.

She grabbed his hand, squeezed it tightly and gave him a small sad smile as the tears in her eyes made tracks down her cheeks and he felt that maybe he wasn't alone, maybe he had someone there.

"She's here Eric. We may not be able to see her or touch her or talk to her, but she's here. She's here because we love her."


End file.
